VTC and meal deliverers: green light from the Senate for the organization of professional elections

The Minister of Labor Elisabeth Borne defended "a position of balance", affirming that "we must at the same time support the development of networking platforms while ensuring better protection of workers' rights (... ) and to strengthen their social rights ".

Stressing that the text "was the subject of a very broad consultation", the Minister justified the recourse to the ordinances by "the urgency to act".

"These platforms are an opportunity," said LR rapporteur Frédérique Puissat, welcoming measures which are "in the right direction".

For the centrist Brigitte Devésa, the text "lays the foundations for a structured social dialogue".

The senators nevertheless made some changes to the text adopted by the National Assembly.

They notably reduced the scope of intervention of the Authority for Social Relations of Employment Platforms (Arpe), created by the text, to the regulation of social dialogue between workers and platforms, not wishing that it " is becoming a regulatory agency for the economic sectors of private hire and delivery platforms ".

VTCs in a street in Paris, May 29, 2021 GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT AFP / Archives

The Senate also restricted the scope of new requests for authorization to legislate by ordinance provided for by the bill, in particular removing the authorization to set the framework for social dialogue at the level of each platform.

And he included directly in the bill the areas (including the price that workers can obtain for their service) and the periodicity of mandatory negotiations.

Two motions proposing the wholesale rejection of the bill, presented by the Communist majority PS and CRCE groups, were rejected.

"It keeps workers in a false independence" and "reinforces the platforms in a situation of control or even full domination", accused Pascal Savoldelli (CRCE).

"It leaves aside the major subject of the status of workers," added Cathy Apourceau-Poly (CRCE).

Olivier Jacquin (PS) judged "treacherous to qualify as social dialogue the granting of a few minor rights to fictitious self-employed workers to ensure that they cannot be requalified" (in salaried work).

"I note that the left side of the hemicycle does not believe in social dialogue, and I regret it," responded Ms. Borne.

Deputies and senators will try to agree on a common version of the text in a joint committee.

In case of failure, the National Assembly will have the last word.

© 2021 AFP